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City of Loveland's purchase of House of Neighborly Service building off the table

Parties agree: Time too short to complete the transaction

By Craig Young Reporter-Herald Staff Writer

Posted:
12/20/2012 04:52:23 PM MST

LOVELAND -- A proposal for the city to buy the House of Neighborly Service's building never made it to the floor of the Loveland City Council on Tuesday because it was pulled from the agenda right before the meeting.

City manager Bill Cahill said he approached HNS executive director Glorie Magrum and the nonprofit agency's board Tuesday afternoon and asked them to consider putting the issue on hold.

He said he made the request "because of the press of time here and the complexity of getting the real estate transaction done in a compressed time period."

The House of Neighborly Service, helping a growing number of Loveland residents with food, clothing and other needs, is looking for a larger facility.

It has an agreement to buy the former Super Vacuum Manufacturing facility at 1151 E. 11th St. for $3.2 million and asked the city to purchase its current building at 565 N. Cleveland Ave.

According to a city staff report, the seller of the 11th Street property wanted to close the deal by the end of the year for tax reasons.

The proposal included a $275,000 sales price for the current HNS building plus a $275,000 grant for the agency.

"We agreed that we didn't have enough information to really bring it before the council that night," Magrum said Thursday.

The change in plans doesn't put a stop to the agency's pursuit of the larger building, she said. "Absolutely not. We're continuing to move forward.

"It was just one component of the different pieces that all need to come together," Magrum said.

Cahill said pulling the purchase proposal off the agenda doesn't say anything negative about the city's relationship with the House of Neighborly Service.

"The city still is very supportive of HNS and its mission," he said.

"At some point in the future we might talk about some assistance," Cahill said. "I'm not sure what form that would take."

He wouldn't say whether the purchase of the building still is a possibility, adding that the city hadn't had plans for the property before the agency made its request.

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